Statement on refusal of retrospective planning application from CB Hounslow

Statement on refusal of retrospective planning application from CB Hounslow

The retrospective planning application made by WS Planning and Architecture on behalf of CB Hounslow Sports Club was yesterday (11 December 2018) refused permission by the London Borough of Hounslow.

Published: Wednesday, 12th December 2018

The retrospective application was intended by the club to correct mistakes they had made in response to a previous planning application, approved in 2015, which included a new club house, parking layout, and some bunds (earth mounds / embankments). The club didn’t follow their original application, creating a different car parking layout, and introducing a larger number of bunds than originally applied for, placing them without permission on Metropolitan Green Belt. In addition, the landlord’s consent for the bunds was not applied for and the works were undertaken without the council’s approval.

The council has been waiting since December 2017 for a report to be provided by the club on the quantity and composition of the bunds, which have been dumped around the perimeter of the pitches at the club.

On 28 November 2018 the council received a report from the club regarding the bunds to ensure that the material used to create them is not contaminated. However, the council considers the investigation on which this report is based to be insufficient. Samples were not taken from a large enough area and did not go deep enough into the bunds, which are thought to be up to four metres deep instead of the 1.5 metres originally applied for. In addition, despite being asked, the club has not provided the waste transfer notes for the material which would show where it came from, who transported it to the club, its composition, the amount brought in, and how much money the club received for this waste material.

The land that the waste has been dumped on, whilst owned by the council, is Metropolitan Green Belt. The construction of bunds in the Green Belt is considered, by definition, inappropriate development and as such ‘very special circumstances’ need to be demonstrated. The applicant did not submit any information to demonstrate ‘very special circumstances’ in this instance as part of their planning application.